iHave a Seddie Celebration!
by IamMu-chan
Summary: Carly,Sam&Freddie throw a New Years Eve party but on the night the one person that Freddie wants to see most is late.When she finally arrives an exciting and unexpected start to the year unfolds!In response to Chantals Seddie New Years plete!
1. Chapter 1

**iHave a Seddie Celebration**

**In response to Chantal's Seddie New Year Challenge**

To be judged under the category of iKiss

_Synopsis: Carly, Sam and Freddie throw a New Years Eve party on the roof of the Bushwell Plaza – everyone is invited, but the one person that Freddie wants to se most is late. Sam arrives late to the party, and she doesn't seem herself, resulting in the unfolding of some very strange events…_

I do not own iCarly (though it would be awesome if I did!)

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_Hi all, I hope you all enjoy this little New Year Seddie story - I'm really hoping to win in this competition, so please leave me some positibve reviews. :-D Also please feel free to check out some of my other stories on my profile page. Enjoy, and please show me some love and review, I'd really appreciate it. :-)_

_Lotsa Love _

_IamMu-chan_

**Chapter One**

"Freddie?" Carly called frantically, rushing down the stairs of her apartment and searching in earnest for her best guy friend, who was supposed to be helping her get ready for the New Years Eve party that she was hosting.

The three of them – them being Sam, Freddie and herself - had planned every last detail of the party that would launch them into the promising year of 2010, but Carly hadn't seen Sam since they had parted ways last night after a baking marathon. The two of them had made cupcakes, brownies and every other delicious snack you could think of, each of them adorned with an iced _2010_ to get all of their guests into the mood. After Carly had allowed Sam to steal her last cupcake for the night the two friends had bid each other goodnight and Sam had headed home, promising to be back before the party to help with the decorations. But Sam hadn't shown up yet, and it seemed like Freddie was also missing in action all of a sudden.

"Freddie?" Carly repeated, more urgent than before, and a movement near the couch caught her attention as Freddie emerged from a large heap of streamers on the floor. They were draped around him oddly; his one arm was pinned to his side as the streamers bound him in unimaginable ways, and his struggle to get free without tearing them was becoming very unsuccessful.

"What are you doing?" Carly demanded, sounding harsh without really meaning to. She couldn't help it – the first of the guests were set to arrive in the next half an hour and she still wasn't dressed and the preparations weren't nearly complete either.

"Well, I was trying to take these streamers upstairs," Freddie explained, his own voice filled with obvious frustration, "But somehow they all unwound themselves and I ended up stuck like this for the last ten minutes. I don't want to break them, but I can't get out unless I do…"

"Oh, forget about the streamers, just get out of there and go help Spencer set the music up please? The guests are going to be arriving soon and the lights and music still aren't set up."

"I'm on it…" Freddie grumbled, breaking the streamers that were constricting his arms, but tripping over the ones that still bound his feet. Carly couldn't help but let out a giggle as he hit the floor, and he pushed himself up in embarrassment, untangling the streamers at his feet.

"Say," he questioned as Carly turned around to leave, "Wasn't Sam supposed to come and help us get ready?" Embarrassing actions just didn't seem the same without Sam insulting him from the other side of the room. "Where is she anyway?"

Carly sighed in response to his question, and reached into her pocket to check her cellphone for the hundredth time that day.

"I don't know," she answered, the frown that often caressed her features when she was worried jumping to her face again, "I've tried to call her about eight times already, but she's not answering. It seems like her phone is off because I just keep getting her voicemail."

"She's obviously gotten herself nicely out of working tonight…" Freddie said matter-of-factly, gathering up the streamers and heading towards the bin in the kitchen.

"No, Sam wouldn't just abandon us like this when we need her – this isn't schoolwork or anything. Sam would be here if she could…something must be wrong. I hope she's ok…" Carly's face darkened as her brow furrowed up even further in worry,

Freddie wished he could take back his words, but he knew that it was now too late. He dumped the streamers in the bin and then walked over to Carly who was staring at her phone as if hoping it would ring and Sam would be on the other end of the line.

''I'm sorry Carls, I didn't mean it…" Freddie trailed off, and Carly looked up at him with her small smile in place, but the brightness of her eyes told him that she wasn't alright; she really was very worried about her best friend.

"Look," Freddie said, placing his hand on her shoulder and squeezing it lightly, "I'm sure Sam has a good reason for being late, and she'll be here before you know it. But just because she's going to be a little late doesn't mean that you have to; go upstairs and get changed and I'll make sure all the rest gets done, ok? Don't worry, you've done a great job so far and you're going to be a brilliant hostess tonight. I promise."

Carly's smile widened at his words, and she nodded her head slowly as he gave her shoulder a final squeeze and gave her a small push towards the stairs.

"Thanks Freddie," she said, and she rushed up as quickly as she could so that she could get finished in time.

Freddie rocked back and forth on his heels for a few seconds before sighing and taking a step towards the elevator. He pushed the 'up' button and entered it, waiting for the door to close and to feel the old familiar jerk as the elevator started moving.

He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but at that moment he was pretty bummed that Sam wasn't there; he was looking forward to getting the apartment and the rooftop ready for the big party that night simply because he knew Carly would pair the two of them up to do almost anything while she ran around and checked that Spencer wasn't setting anything alight. He and Sam had reached a mutual feeling of friendship over the last few months, and he couldn't deny that he enjoyed the change, along with her company, thoroughly.

It wasn't because Sam had started insulting him less, or because the physical abuse had lessened, even if it was only a little, that he had started enjoying his new found friendship with Sam. These factors did play a role in his enjoyment, of course, but they were miniscule in comparison to his true feelings on the matter. The truth was that the bettering of their relationship had brought about a change within him in terms of the way he started perceiving Sam. She was no longer the bully who tormented him on a daily basis anymore – he had begun to see her as someone he shared a strange connection with, and this change frightened him.

He had spent months battling inwardly with himself when came to realize this change of his; it had started out very insignificantly at first. He had always been one to pay a lot of attention to Carly – to notice when she looked pretty or did something sweet – but he had begun to notice the same things in Sam after some time. Sometimes he had even found himself thinking that she looked prettier than Carly that day, or that her blue eyes stood out much more than Carly's normal, brown ones, but he would often stop himself as soon as these thoughts entered his mind.

He quickly made the connection to why he had begun noticing these things – it was because of that kiss that he and Sam had shared. They had insisted that they would kiss each other simply to get the pressures of a first kiss out of the way, and that it was supposed to mean nothing more than that, but Freddie couldn't deny that it had had an effect on him nonetheless. Sam's lips had fitted tightly to his, not entirely soft but warm nonetheless, and the second his mouth had found hers a tingling had shot through his body, surprising him and changing things for the two of them forever.

The elevator jerked to a stop as he reached his destination, and the slight tinkling sounded as the door slid open to reveal the rooftop of the Bushwell Plaza. Normally residents of the apartment building weren't allowed onto the rooftop, only having access to the small balcony outcrops that jutted out at each corner on the top floor, and although these had small ladders which reached the rooftop, no one ever climbed them because they were weathered from the rain and were hardly reliable. Freddie remembered how he and Sam had gained access to one of them those few months ago and how the kiss had somehow happened…he shook his head as the memory flooded back to him and he stepped out of the elevator and admired all of their hard work.

The owners of the apartment building had granted them permission to use the roof for their party that night, on the condition that the entire event is broadcasted on iCarly in order to better the image of the building (Sam had joked that Lewbert wasn't meeting the owners expectations on that front – his wart scared off the majority of the new residents). They had obviously agreed to the more than reasonable condition – it was a great stint for iCarly on top of it as well, so Freddie had arranged a rotating tripod stand for his camera to add to the special nature of the night.

Freddie had to hand it to Carly and Spencer; they sure knew how to throw a party. The roof had been transformed into what could only be described as the interior of a funky, retro nightclub; Spencer had worked tirelessly over the last month to create four, identical sculptures which lined up at the one end of the roof which would light up one by one as they entered the New Year. When the sculptures were put side by side they formed a colourful and vibrant 2010, and Freddie couldn't wait for them to be set off. Spencer had also let Freddie in on the secret that he had set up to go off in addition to the lighting up of his sculptures, and Freddie hoped that it didn't involve anything flammable. Besides Spencer's sculptures occupying the roof, Carly had managed to convince residents of the building to donate their furniture sets for the night – long tables had been set up with food, dessert, snacks and drinks for the guests, and couches, tables and all manner of seating arrangements had been carried upstairs and placed in comfortable arrangements for the guests to enjoy conversation and rest between dances.

The small attention to detail that Carly had shown was very impressive to Freddie, although it had been Sam's idea to carry the furniture upstairs in order to provide a comfortable environment for their guests. Lastly, a wooden dance floor had been laid out in the middle of the area, and old-fashioned lamp posts were positioned at each corner to provide lighting to the area. These were not ordinary lamps however; Freddie had fashioned each one to provide a different light to the dance floor. One had a UV setting, the other a strobe light setting, and another was fashioned like a disco ball to throw an interesting light onto the dancers. The last of them had three separate coloured bulbs in, which were programmed to switch at random intervals. These lights, along with normal globes that were placed along the wall of the rooftop every few meters in order to provide enough light for the guests were all connected to Freddie's laptop, which had a lighting scheme programmed into it in order to sync the lights and the timing for Spencer's sculpture.

Freddie headed to his laptop and fiddled around with the settings as he turned each light on one by one, the rooftop slowly lighting up from the one end to the other, and the dance floor suddenly looked very inviting as the speckled lights of the disco lamp washed across it. The last wisp of sunlight disappeared behind the skyline of Seattle just as Freddie turned the last of the globes on, and began to sync the lighting to the music that would soon be playing.

"Hey Freddo!" Spencer greeted Freddie as he emerged from behind his sculpture after Freddie had been fiddling with his equipment for about ten minutes, "I was wondering when you'd come up and put the lights on. I almost thought I'd be stranded up here in the dark."

"Sorry, I was busy downstairs," Freddie answered absent mindedly, typing away furiously on his laptop, programming the last of the instructions into the lighting system, "What were you doing back there anyway? I thought you sculptures were already set?"

"Well, they are, I was checking up on some things," he replied, wiping his hands free of something that looked like dirt, "And, um, I was just testing out one of Carly's chocolate brownies…"

Freddie lifted and eyebrow and glanced over to the dessert table where the brownie platter seemed a lot more empty than before. So it wasn't dirt that Spencer had been wiping free of his hands, but chocolate crumbs instead.

"Only one?" he questioned, and Spencer smiled guiltily, putting his finger to his lips, "Don't tell Carly, ok?"

Freddie shook his head at Carly's brother, rolling his eyes slightly, but then nodded in agreement nonetheless.

"Sam arrived yet?" Spencer asked, and Freddie paused, his brow wrinkling in sudden expiration and letting out a sigh.

"No," he replied, "Carly's really worried about her…I hope she's ok. I've decided that if she's not here by the time the first few guests arrive I'm going to go look for her."

"You can't do that Freddie, even if you want to," Spencer interjected, "This isn't just a party that you can run out on – it's important to Carly as well as iCarly. She needs you to be here if Sam can't. If Sam doesn't arrive in time then I'll drive over to her place and see if she's there, ok?"

"Thanks Spence," Freddie thanked him whole heartedly, moving over towards the camera he had set up earlier, and double checking the connection to the iCarly website.

"You're really worried about her, aren't you?" Spencer asked him quietly. Freddie flinched slightly, and turned around to look at Spencer incredulously.

"W-why would you say that?" he muttered, finding Spencer's expression unreadable and returning to his camera, his cheeks hot.

"Well, no matter how much you two fight, she's your friend too," he replied, "And I'm no idiot Freddie – I'm eccentric and creative and maybe not as smart as you are, but I know I'm no idiot. You like her Freddo…you should tell her how you feel."

Freddie spun around in shock, almost knocking his equipment over in the process.

"What are you talking about?" he spluttered, his cheeks burning at Spencer's words, "I don't like Sam in that way! I'll agree that we're friends, but there's no way I like her as much as I like Carly Spence! Besides…if I told her that I felt that way – not that I do – she'll probably laugh or throw me off a building or something…"

Spencer grinned at his clear embarrassment, shaking his head slightly.

"You may not admit it Freddie, but I know how you feel about her. And you better tell her soon…because she never will."

"Huh?" Freddie snapped his head up at Spencer's words, "What do you mean by that?"

Spencer was about to answer Freddie when the tinkling of the elevator was heard, and he looked around to find Carly exiting the entrance of the elevator and coming towards them. Spencer shut his mouth and smiled over at his sister – he knew that this was Sam and Freddie's dilemma and he didn't want to involve Carly unnecessarily. He had picked up the signs of their feelings for each other over the past few months, and he knew that they would both deny it if he mentioned it, as Freddie just had, but he couldn't ignore the signs. Freddie was a little harder to read, but Sam's feelings for the boy were so obvious to him that he couldn't believe Freddie or Carly hadn't picked it up yet. He was amazed at himself for picking it up, but that was what happened when you hung around your sixteen year old sister and her friends a lot – you became a bit more sensitive to the teenage heart and its dilemma's.

"Wow Freddie, the lights look amazing!" Carly said, walking over to the dance floor and standing in the middle of it so that the lights washed over her; she was wearing a red dress which sat tight at the top and flared out extravagantly as it reached her waist. She wore red heels to compliment the dress and her hair fell down straight across her shoulders. Freddie smiled at her as she gave a small spin, allowing the dress to flare out and expose her thighs.

"You seem to be in a better mood," Spencer said, joining his sister in the middle of the dance floor and patting her head affectionately.

"Its amazing what a shower can do," Carly said, smiling up at him, "I don't think I've ever gotten dressed and make-upped so quickly before!"

She giggled slightly as Spencer looked over at Freddie and mouthed the words _"No, she hasn't!"_ Freddie smiled and dropped his eyes back to the wires connected to his camera.

"Plus," Carly continued, "Sam called a few minutes ago. She said she's sorry she's so late but she wasn't feeling well for most of the day. She said she's on her way, so she should be up any minute!"

Freddie's stomach gave a sudden lurch at Carly's words, and he pulled at his collar nervously all of a sudden. He had lied when Spencer had confronted him about his feelings for Sam, but he was caught completely off guard. How had Spencer figured it out? He was positive that Spencer wasn't just jumping to conclusions simply because he and Sam had kissed; perhaps all he harboured were suspicions of his feelings for Sam and he had no definite proof, therefore Freddie didn't have to worry that Carly was catching on either.

Spencer was a very perceptive person, despite his shortcomings, but Carly was blinded by her belief that he and Sam would kill each other if they got the chance. He felt bad keeping things from Carly, but he and Sam had sworn that no one find out about their kiss, and even though Carly had discovered it eventually it didn't mean he had to tell her about the strange feelings he had begun to possess for the girl. It was his secret, and he planned to cling onto it for as long as possible, secretly hoping that they would disappear in time so that he could avoid the wrath of Sam if she ever found out.

Freddie shook the thoughts from his mind and returned to his laptop where he hit the enter button, causing the music to begin playing. It was simple lounge music to start off the evening because he knew no one would dance so early on in the night – the dance music was scheduled for later. Carly and Spencer were still on the dance floor, talking and laughing, the excitement clear on both of their faces, and Freddie moved over to join them, the buzz starting to infect him too.

"You look beautiful tonight Carls," Freddie complimented his friend, and she smiled at him appreciatively. Spencer caught his eye and gave a wide smile, indicating to him that he knew Freddie was being polite, and that the feelings for Carly that he portrayed were simply an act. He emphasized this silent exchange by pressing on with the matter.

"I wonder what Sam's going to wear tonight?" he asked innocently, allowing Freddie to narrow his eyes at him playfully.

"She's probably show up in a pair of jeans and an old T-shirt," Freddie joked, looking at Carly for her agreement.

"Yeah, I bet!" Spencer agreed with him, but Carly simply placed her hands behind her back and swayed suspiciously.

"Oh," she breathed nonchalantly, "I think you'd both be surprised."

Before Freddie could question her they were interrupted by the tinkling of the elevator. The door slid open to reveal a group of the first of their guests, two blonde-haired individuals standing at the front.

One of the blonde haired individuals was someone Freddie had been dying to see, and the other was no doubt her mother. This theory was confirmed when the two of them left the elevator, the smaller one of the two heading towards them and other making a beeline for the food table.

'_Like mother like daughter…'_ Freddie thought to himself as Sam approached them, an apologetic smile on her face.

"Hi guys," she said breathlessly, "I'm _so_ sorry I'm late…and for making you worry Carly. I've had a terrible fever all day, so I spent the day in bed so that I could definitely make to tonight. And my charger ran away…screaming…again…"

She sighed, and Freddie noticed that she looked exhausted; her cheeks were flushed and her forehead was beaded with tiny sweat droplets as a result of her fever. He almost didn't notice all of this though, because he was too bust staring at how different and…_pretty_ she looked despite the discomfort of her illness. She was wearing a plain black dress which was also tight at the top, but at the waist it didn't flare out as extravagantly as Carly's did. It fell in natural sweeps of silk across her legs down to her knees, and she had fastened a red belt around her waist. The black heels she wore weren't as high as Carly's either, and she looked comfortable in her outfit almost as much as she was naturally comfortable within her own skin. He admired the curve of her hips, the slight swaying of her long, curly hair in the breeze, and the way her makeup had been done in order to bring her eyes out. He had never seen her pay so much attention to herself before, and he guessed that her mother had something to do with it, which he didn't mind in the slightest.

"Freddie?" Sam said for the third time, rapping him lightly on the head with her knuckles, "Earth to Freddie!"

Freddie blinked and snapped out of his daze in embarrassment, the heat returning to his cheeks as he realized the blue eyes he had been admiring before were now only inches away from his face.

"Where did you zoom out to Freddork?" Sam asked playfully, throwing her arm around his neck and forcing him into a headlock at her side, "Come on, Carly and I need to introduce the party to the iCarly viewers, and we need our technical dweeb as backup."

She gave him a wink as he looked up at her in annoyance, and proceeded to drag him towards the camera where Carly was already waiting, eyeing the two of them impatiently.

"You ready Carls?" Sam asked as soon as they reached her, and she nodded quickly, smiling at her friend.

"Let's do this!" she exclaimed, and Sam released Freddie, taking her customary spot next to her friend. Freddie straightened up and massaged his neck as he moved away from Sam and took his position behind the camera. That was Sam for you – only she would be able to trap someone in a headlock in heels when she was feeling under the weather. He held his finger over the recording button and started counting down the seconds until their broadcast would begin on his watch. Carly and Sam went over some of their lines and timing while Freddie waited patiently, throwing glances over at the two girls occasionally. He couldn't believe how gorgeous Sam looked tonight, and it was so unbelievable that he was struggling to concentrate on the simplest of tasks. Even counting down the seconds on his watch was difficult because every ten seconds or so he tore his eyes away from it and focused on Sam instead, once again admiring her slender form and her enchanting blue eyes.

"In 5,4,3,2!" he finally counted down, and he hit the recording button as Sam and Carly launched themselves at the camera.

"Hello people, and welcome to iCarly!" Sam started off, using her usual to-the-point charm to set the show alight with humour.

"I'm Carly!"

"I'm Sam!"

"And this is the last iCarly show we will ever do!" Sam said, her large grin falling into a pout as she hit the "_Aww_" button on her remote, causing the large speakers around the roof to grumble harmoniously.

"For 2009 that is," Carly interjected, and a grin sprang to Sam's face again as she hit the button that caused the sound of a cheering crowd to echo off the rooftops of Seattle.

"Now, as you may notice," Carly continued, "We're not in our usual iCarly studio. We're much higher up in fact – we're on the roof of my apartment building!"

"And we're all dolled up," Sam continued the rehearsed speech, "Because we are throwing an awesome iCarly New Years Eve party!" she hit the cheer button again, and some of the guests that were already on the roof joined in, clapping and laughing at the two teenagers which had become the highlight of the Internet.

"Freddie, come on out from behind that camera and say hi to the people!" Sam said, beckoning him over. Freddie refastened the camera to its stand and loped over to the girls, sending a wave of recognition towards the camera.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" he greeted the camera, catching Sam's eye and returning the small smile she gave him.

"Do you want to tell them about your special camera tonight Freddie?" Carly asked, motioning her arm in a way that indicated that he could take the floor.

"I'd be happy to," Freddie said, taking a step forward, "I made some adjustments to the tripod stand that the camera is situated on at the moment in order to give you, the fans of iCarly, a better view of exactly what's going down here at the iCarly 2010 celebration. Sam, would you please do the honours?"

Freddie glanced back at Sam as he said this, once again catching the hint of a small smile playing at her lips as they made eye contact. Sam brought her remote up and pointed to a large green button near the top at the remote, asking him if it was the right one. Freddie nodded, and she pressed it, causing the tripod to rattle suddenly and then smoothly begin to rotate on an axis that Freddie had set up, not jostling the camera at all. It moved slowly, allowing the viewers to take in what they were seeing, but not too slow so that they wouldn't get bored. It didn't turn full circle, but instead stopped and changed direction as soon as it caught what was happening immediately to the right. The guests that had already arrived waved at it shyly, and some smiled enthusiastically.

As soon as the camera began moving Sam yanked Freddie sideways, performing a strange sideways leap in her heels in order to stay in front of the camera. She pulled Freddie behind her while Carly brought up the rear, clutching tightly onto his other arm.

'_Yay,'_ he thought to himself, '_More manhandling of the Freddie.'_

"Now!" Sam continued, unaware of Freddie's discomfort at being dragged along, "You can see what everyone's doing over here at iCarly!"

"So, enjoy the party with us from the comfort of your own home!" Carly added.

"Be sure to leave us comments on anything you like!" Freddie said, being yanked back to the left by Carly as soon as the camera changed direction. Now he was supposed to pull Sam; her hand let go of his elbow as he was yanked aside by Carly, and he grabbed her hand out of reflex, hanging onto it tightly. There was no way she was getting out of being tugged along after she had done it to him.

"Tell us what you think of our outfits!" Carly said.

"The dancing!" Freddie added, suddenly realizing what he was doing and letting go of Sam's hand in embarrassment. Why, out of all things did he have to grab her hand? He was surprised that he wasn't knocked out on the floor already. Sam would never put up with him doing that but, strangely, he was still standing.

"The food!" Sam ended, smiling guiltily as Carly and Freddie eyed her, "Well, they can at least comment on what it looks like! I'll bring you updates on how it tastes!" Sam winked at the camera and Freddie rolled his eyes at her. She wrung her hands together behind her back, feeling a heat that had nothing to do with her fever spring to her cheeks as she felt the tingling feeling of Freddie's touch lingering on her palm.

"So, that's it for now!" Carly said, "We'll pop in later and say hi again! But first – Freddie, Sam…hit those buttons!"

Freddie jumped to his laptop and hit the enter button again, starting up an upbeat, party tune, while Sam pushed a button on her remote which shouted out and displayed the words _Random Dancing_ on the show. The three of them, including the majority of their guests, broke into random dance moves as the camera panned and caught it all.

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_Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Press the pretty button and leave me a review to tell me what you thought of it. ;-)_


	2. Chapter 2

**iHave a Seddie Celebration**

**In response to Chantal's Seddie New Year Challenge**

To be judged under the category of iKiss

**Chapter Two**

"Hey you," Freddie greeted Sam as he plopped himself down next to her on the Shay's couch which was specifically reserved for the stars of iCarly. Sam had her one arm curled on the armrest of the couch, her legs pulled up and tucked underneath her as her head rested on her arm. Her cheeks were flushed and she was taking deep, shaky breaths to try and fight off her fever.

The night had gone smoothly until a few minutes ago; they were only an hour or so away from midnight, and the three friends had been having a really good time entertaining their guests and reveling in the magnificence of their celebration. Carly had been on the dance floor the majority of the night; almost every guy from their school was there and Carly was a pretty girl – they would certainly take advantage of the occasion to dance with her. Freddie had danced with her a few times himself, but he didn't enjoy it as much as he might have a few months ago. When he wasn't on the dance floor with Carly then he was hanging around the food table with Sam, or sitting on the couch with Sam, or just generally being with Sam.

No matter how hard he tried he struggled to pull himself away from her conversation for too long. This did have its consequences however; it was bound to happen that he and Sam would start bickering about something, and that fight came in the form of a chocolate éclair. Freddie thought maybe Sam was trying to be funny when she managed to stick the éclair into his face, causing the cream and chocolate sauce to drip down and stain his formal jacket, but he didn't find it very amusing. It wasn't entirely his jacket – it had belonged to his father, and his mom had only allowed him to wear it for the night when he promised her that he would guard it from any form of food with his life. He didn't expect that someone would stick an éclair in his face though, and as soon a he noticed the chocolate stain he lost it. He had lunged at Sam in frustration, but she had dodged him easily and managed to trip him in the process, only adding to his humiliation. He tugged at her ankles and brought her down along with him, and the two of them were locked in a wrestling match for a few minutes until Carly intervened with the spray bottle she usually brought out on these occasions.

"Would you stop it!" she insisted, helping Sam up as Freddie backed away from her, "Could you guys please just get along for_ one_ night? Don't embarrass me!"

The two hooligans mumbled sincere apologies to her before she stalked back to the dance floor with her latest dance partner in tow.

Freddie felt bad when he realized that their little wrestling much hadn't done Sam any good; her cheeks had already been flushed for the majority of the night, and he was sure that all this physical and emotional strain wasn't good for her condition. That was why he had come to check on her as a form of peace.

"Are you alright?" Freddie asked, concerned, and he reached over to brush her hair out of her face and put his hand to her head in order to measure her temperature. Sam closed her eyes beneath his touch, and she felt herself turn even hotter beneath his hand.

"You really don't look good Sam," he said, "Here, sit up, I'll get you some water. I'll be right back, ok?"

"I don't need your help Fredderly," Sam mumbled, but Freddie smiled down at her despite her protest. The use of one of her more affectionate nicknames for him indicated that she wasn't as defensive as she appeared to be, which was why he felt inclined to still help her.

"Trust me, it'll help. I'll be right back."

Freddie got up and sprinted over to the refreshment table, behind which one of Sam's cousins was playing bartender. She had given him the job because he was fresh out of prison and needed to make some money. Freddie and Carly didn't know that of course, but they would never have trusted him if Sam had mentioned it to them. She was certain Freddie had a suspicion of it though, because he became very cautious as he asked her cousin for a glass of water, his legs stiffening as if he was ready to run if necessary. Sam chuckled to herself and pushed herself up, feeling the sudden head rush and groaning slightly.

She didn't know where she had picked up the nasty cold; she had a very strong immune system and almost never got sick as a result of it, but last night she had stayed up late at Carly's…and there had been a chilly breeze out when she had waited for her mother to pick her up. She felt like kicking herself for not taking her jacket last night, but she was never one to remember small things like that anyway. She sighed and put her head back, resting it on the couch, only to be disturbed by Freddie again a few seconds later.

"Here you go Sam," Freddie said, sitting down next to her and offering her the water, "Drink up, okay? It'll help."

"You already said it'll help," Sam groaned as she sat herself up once more. She smiled at Freddie gratefully though as he handed her the tall glass of water. Man, she must've been really sick if she couldn't even insult Freddie properly.

She put the glass to her mouth and took a large gulp of the water, the sudden coldness of it causing her teeth to ache. She coughed slightly while the glass was at her mouth, causing some water to dribble down her chin. She took the glass away and smiled sheepishly at Freddie as she swallowed with a large gulp. She intended to reach up and wipe the water away with the back of her hand, but Freddie beat her to it. He shook the sleeve of his jacket over his hand and brushed at Sam's chin, catching most of the water, but missing a small drop which dripped down and landed near her collar bone. He paused, looking up at Sam's surprised eyes, and cautiously moved his hand down, keeping his eyes locked on hers the entire time. He brushed his sleeve at her collarbone and wiped away the water, then quickly withdrew his hand, allowing it to fall into his lap.

Sam's surprised eyes left his face and fell down to the glass of water in her hands instead as she turned it between her fingers. Freddie went into a small bout of shock as he realized what he had just done. Not only had he grabbed her hand earlier but he had also just invaded her personal space to the highest degree…and Sam hadn't hit him yet. He was confused, yet he was sure the fact that she wasn't entirely healthy had something to do with it. Although, perhaps the before mentioned éclair was payback for grabbing her hand? He would probably never know.

"A-Are you sure you're feeling well enough to be out here tonight?" he asked her, and Sam glanced up at him, noticing that he was staring straight ahead. She followed his line of sight to find that he was staring at Carly who was in front of the camera; it was her turn to talk to the viewers for a few minutes while everyone enjoyed the party. They weren't expected to be in front of the camera the entire time, even though it was recording the entire event, and every now and then Carly, Freddie or Sam would just pause and say something funny or interesting to keep the broadcast alive with energy.

Sam smiled to herself when she realized who Freddie was staring at. It was so obvious that he was still infatuated with Carly…which was the reason why she had never said anything to him about the change of heart she had had for the boy sitting next to her. But what was it that had just happened? She brought her hand to her neck and ran her fingers across her collarbone where Freddie had touched her earlier. She knew that she wasn't feeling herself, and she just hoped she wouldn't do anything stupid because of it.

"I'm a little under the weather," she admitted quietly, "I might not be beating anyone up tonight…except you maybe," she teased, throwing a smile in his direction. Freddie rolled his eyes at her and brushed at the stain on his jacket again.

'_What a dork,'_ Sam thought to herself, but her smile tweaked with affection for the boy despite her thoughts.

"But I'm more than alright to enjoy this party," she continued "Besides, it's important for me to be here for Carly. I can't leave her alone tonight – she'd hate me if I left so soon."

"I don't think she'd _hate _you," Freddie said, throwing his arm over the back of the couch, his hand mere inches from her hair, "She'd be a little disappointed, but she'd understand. It's not your fault you're not feeling well."

He grinned over at her, and she smiled back, putting the glass to her lips again as she gulped down the last of the water.

"You know," she heard him press on; "I don't think I've ever seen you so…what's the word I'm looking for? Vulnerable? No, no that's not it!" he quickly corrected himself as Sam shot him a death glare.

"What I mean is that you're not feeling well…I'm not used to seeing someone look after you. Let alone me!" he chuckled to himself but broke off as Sam's glare intensified.

"I mean…" he tried yet again to find the right way to put it, "It's nice to not be afraid while in your company for once."

He shrugged as Sam's glare left her eyes and was replaced by a naughty twinkle instead, coupled with an evil smile.

"Trust me," she breathed, placing the empty glass next to her on the couch and leaning over to Freddie in a manner that seemed very seductive. He backed away slightly as she leant towards him and positioned herself on her knees which were still tucked up beneath her, "You might not be afraid now, but if you do or say anything that'll get me worked up, you're going to get it later. I may not be able to hurt you now because I'm not feeling too well, but that doesn't mean I can't get you back later."

Freddie caught his breath as she crawled closer, her face coming closer and closer towards him, and he gulped slightly at her threat. He felt scared again, but not because of the threat she had just delivered, but rather because of how close she was getting. Despite her threat there was a small smile playing at her lips, and that put Freddie at ease – she was only doing this for show, and probably would let him off the hook as she had been doing these last few weeks.

She paused as she lent over him, their faces not too close, yet not too far away either. Freddie's eyes dropped from the blue emeralds that were staring intently at him down to the lips that opened uncertainly as his gaze reached them. He looked up at her guiltily when he realized where his eyes had strayed to find her expression unreadable. There was a softness in her eyes that he had never seen before, and his heart rate suddenly sped up as he realized she was staring down at his mouth as well. The distance between their faces was becoming less, and he realized that he was moving closer…but he wasn't the only one. Sam was moving forward as well, her eyes focused on his mouth.

"Sam?" he said uncertainly, and her eyes jumped back up, meeting his gaze with a sudden fearfulness. She pulled back quickly, swinging her legs down to touch the ground and standing up abruptly, fixing her dress as she did so. Freddie was amazed that she was able to do that with the ill condition she was in, but he didn't realize that her system was suddenly pumped full of adrenalin, enabling her to forget about her sickness momentarily.

"I-I have to go to the bathroom!" she said quickly and she stomped off in the direction of the elevator, accomplishing the feat in her high heels and all.

Freddie remained glued to his seat, his mouth hanging slightly open and his eyes still wide with shock.

'_Ok, what just happened there?' _he thought to himself.

He had thought that a simple touch was crossing the line – just a touch brought him close to doing something completely irrational, but in the end it was _Sam_ who crossed the line? That didn't make any sense! He knew Sam didn't feel the same way about him as he now felt for her, so why did she do something so intimate...how had they almost ended up kissing for a second time? He was convinced that if he had just kept quiet and not said anything she would have kissed him and the thought frightened him, yet gave him a sense of elation at the same time. Sam actually wanted to kiss him.

'_Wait, it's just a theory…how can I be sure?' _he questioned.

Freddie thought all of this to himself as he remained rooted to his seat. He was brought back to earth as Carly's face swam into view, a smile on her face despite her obviously concerned expression.

"You okay Freddie?" she asked, standing awkwardly in front of him.

"Yeah…" he choked, snapping out of his daze, "Yeah, I'm fine…"

He lent forward and put his head in his hands, thinking again. How could he be sure that Sam maybe felt the same way about him? There were sparks, definite sparks between them just a few seconds ago, so there had to be _something_.

"Well…" Carly tried to break the silence, "Maybe you should go talk to the fans a bit?" she suggested, "You haven't been in front of the camera in the last hour or so."

'The camera…" Freddie contemplated, and then he jumped up so quickly that Carly jumped backwards, hitting her leg on the couch and toppling onto it, "The camera! You're a genius Carly! Oh, um sorry…" he added as he noticed her sprawled over the couch. He pulled her up, smoothed out her hair and then ran towards the camera without a second glance. Carly stared after him in confusion, looking about at some of the guests that had also begun to stare. She shrugged her shoulders at them and then went off to find Spencer – something was up, and maybe he would know what it was.

Freddie skidded past the camera in his haste, then quickly backtracked and stood in front of it as it slowly moved from side to side. He stood more or less where Carly was standing, and then he glanced over his shoulder to the couch he and Sam had been occupying which was situated slightly to the left. Carly hadn't moved while she was speaking, allowing the camera to focus on the one side without her being in the way…which meant that the iCarly viewers at home had seen everything that had just happened between him and Sam…if they had been paying attention. Freddie moved towards the camera, getting really close to it and grabbing it on either side.

"You saw it too right?" he asked the viewers, "What just happened between me and Sam? I'm not going crazy am I?"

He let go of the camera then and rushed around to his laptop to check the comments the viewers had been leaving, His eyes went wide with shock once more.

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Sam was downstairs in the iCarly studio, seated on the car seat that Spencer had made for them so long ago. She had her head in her hands as well, but not only because she was thoughtful. The sudden movements and adrenalin that she had received had shocked her immune system and put it on a high for a few minutes, but the drop afterwards had been sudden and damaging. Her fever was back along with a piercing headache which ached behind her eyes and forced her to shut them tight from the light in the studio.

She couldn't breathe in the stuffiness of the studio; she had been cooped up in there for almost twenty minutes now, but she certainly wasn't ready to go up to the roof and face Freddie after the stunt she had just pulled. What had she been thinking? She had meant to simply tease Freddie and threaten him a little, and in the end it had come across as a seductive move which had resulted in them almost kissing.

'_What was I thinking?'_ she asked herself over and over again, knocking her fists lightly on the side of her head in frustration.

She had begun to like Freddie a lot more than she had ever dared allow herself to, but she couldn't help it. Freddie wasn't a bad guy in any way possible; he was sweet, thoughtful, yet stubborn and funny at the same time, and no matter how much she tried to force romantically inclined thoughts of him from her mind the less she succeeded.

'_But he's such a nub,_' she kept telling herself, _'How could you like a nub?'_

'_Because he's not really a nub,' _she answered herself, _'He seems like one, but really he's not. He's…a really nice guy...'_

The contradictory personality in her head felt like throwing up at her thoughts, and she sighed in frustration. She had been fine before that night they had kissed – she had been convinced that she hated the boy, but as soon as the idea of kissing him was suggested she felt so nervous and happy that she couldn't believe it. And after the kiss had happened…well, then it became all that she could think about. She wanted to do it again, but she held all her feelings and urges back because she knew how he felt about Carly. She didn't want to make a fool of herself by admitting to something so out of her character only to be rejected and maybe even mocked by Freddie for it. Although, she knew he was too decent to mock her, but she was still afraid nonetheless. Her, Sam Puckett, the girl who wasn't afraid of anything was too scared to tell one of her best friends how she really felt. Yet, she was just making things worse by doing seductive things like she had just now.

Sam shook her head in anger at herself, making the pain behind her eyes grow sharper and forcing her to stand up slowly and head towards the elevator. She couldn't hide in the iCarly studio all night – she had to get some fresh air. She decided that she would avoid Freddie at all possible costs; it wouldn't be that difficult she figured. He must be just as awkward and embarrassed as she was, and he would probably be trying to avoid her as well.

'_Yeah,'_ Sam thought to herself as she entered the elevator, barely noticing who else was in there with her, _'He's probably having a good time, and trying to forget about what just happened. I don't have to worry about anything.' _

At least, that is what she told herself. Despite her reassuring thoughts she still couldn't get rid of the knot in her stomach. She moved to the back of the elevator, standing behind all the taller bodies before her and peeking out from behind them worriedly. Once the elevator door opened onto the rooftop again she quickly scanned the area, looking to see if she could find Freddie. He was nowhere in sight, so she breathed a sigh of relief and stepped out from behind her human shield and exited the elevator. Just when she thought her path was clear though someone stepped in front of her.

She jumped back in surprise, thinking it was Freddie, but instead it was Mitchell, a guy who went to school with them. He was new, so Sam had never spoken to him before, and as a result he wasn't aware of her quick temper and infamous reputation as the schools toughest kid.

"Hey Sam," he said shyly, his eyes focused on his shoes, but looking up to smile at her as he waited for her to greet him back.

"Oh, hey…" Sam said uncertainly, "It's Mitchell, right?"

"Yeah," he said, brightening up. He seemed overjoyed that Sam knew his name, and she immediately got a bad feeling of what was to come.

"I know we haven't really spoken before," he started shuffling his feet in shyness.

'_Oh gosh, guys really _do_ that?' _Sam thought to herself, watching his body language scream awkwardness. She groaned internally. She knew what was about to happen.

"But I was wondering if you'd maybe like to dance?" he asked, his voice shaking and lifting a tremor on the last word due to his nerves. He smiled expectantly at her, and Sam raised her eyebrows in a defensive expression she had learnt to adapt long ago. She would usually blow a guy off without a second thought if she wanted to, but she didn't want to hurt Mitchell's feelings; the poor guy was new after all.

"Um, look Mitchell," she started, "I appreciate you coming over here to ask me, but I really don't dance. Like, ever. Only when it's a dire emergency that requires dancing will I only begin to consider it, but even then I might not do it. I'm sorry."

His face fell in disappointment, but his head snapped back up with determination again soon after. He wasn't going to give up that easily.

"You'll never know how much fun it is until you try," he urged, and Sam's eyes widened in shock. This guy seriously didn't know her reputation.

"No Mitchell," she said firmly.

"Come on," he pressed, taking a step towards her, "I promise you'll enjoy it, and I'm not a bad guy. I won't try and touch your butt or anything!"

"_I'd like to se him even try to touch my butt…"_ Sam growled to herself. He wasn't helping the condition of her headache with his constant pleading, and she raised her one hand to her temple and massaged at it lightly with her forefinger.

"Mitchell, look, I'm sure you're a nice guy, but-"

"Come on, please?" he cut her off, and Sam's head gave a throb as her annoyance meter shot up. She was already being nicer to the guy than he deserved, so why did he have to make it so difficult?

"I said no, I don't want to!" she snapped, her head throbbing again from the use of her sharp tone.

"But-"

"She promised the next dance to me Mitchell, I'm sorry but you'll have to wait you turn," she heard someone say behind her as he took her arm lightly. Sam's heart leaped in her chest as she looked up to find Freddie standing next to her, giving Mitchell a glare which had a friendly warning to stay away hidden within.

"But, I thought she didn't like dancing?" Mitchell queried, obviously not catching the sudden menacing tone of Freddie's voice.

"She was just being polite," Freddie defended her, "Now go _away_."

Mitchell finally picked up on Freddie's tone and backed away slowly.

"Sorry man," he said hurriedly, then turned around to find another girl he could entice onto the dance floor.

Sam looked up at Freddie, grateful that he had gotten rid of the annoying and persistent boy, but nervous because she didn't know what to expect after what had happened between them earlier. Freddie still had his hand at her elbow, and he slid his hand down to take her hand and lead her to the dance floor. Sam followed without realizing where he was leading her, looking up at his expression and trying to read what was going through his mind. The bright lights of the dance floor soon caught her attention and she pulled back, realizing what his intention was.

"Hey, you know I don't dance!" she said, trying to break free of Freddie's grip, but he held on tightly, forcing her to give up.

"We need to keep up appearances Sam," Freddie said in a tone that was free of any expression, "I told Mitchell he couldn't dance with you because you had saved the dance for me – we need to show him that it's true"

"No we don't," Sam protested, "He's just a guy, he'll get over it and realize I just didn't want to dance with him."

"You saw how persistent he was," Freddie argued, "He'll come back and try again."

Sam had to admit that Freddie made sense. But her reluctance to dance and her need to avoid him were pulling at her resolve, and she tried another angle.

"I-I don't feel well," she muttered, and Freddie's hard set expression melted a little at her complaint.

"It's a slow song," he pointed out, "It won't be too straining to just sway to the beat."

"But-"

"Sam, are you really that against just having one dance with me?" Freddie questioned. His expression was stern once more.

Sam faltered in her excuse and dropped her eyes to the floor, turning her head to the side.

'_Great, now I feel guilty about hurting his feelings,'_ she thought to herself, letting out a sigh. Where were the days that she had hurt his feelings without a second thought on a daily basis?

"We need to talk," Freddie said, taking her silence as her surrender, and he pulled her onto the dance floor halfway through a slow dance tune. There were many other couples on the floor, and the two of them melted into the crowd easily enough.

Sam gulped at Freddie's words, but she allowed him to pull her into the crowd and stop somewhere near the middle of the floor. He took her other hand and placed both her arms around his neck, pulling her closer and linking his hands at the curve of her back. She kept her eyes locked to a spot on Freddie's shoulder, and she felt her cheeks burn warmer again at his touch.

The two of them swayed to the beat in silence at first, Sam's eyes focused on his shoulder, and Freddie's gaze locked on her face. She had to admit that it felt nice just swaying mindlessly to the beat encased in Freddie's arms. He held her tightly to him, and she had the urge to just close her eyes and place her head on his shoulder. She stopped herself though – there were more pressing matters to discuss. She sighed and looked up into Freddie's eyes at last.

"Ok," she said, "Let's talk."

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_Let me know what you thought of Chapter Two by leaving me a lovely review!!! Hehe, I rhymed!_


	3. Chapter 3

**iHave a Seddie Celebration**

**In response to Chantal's Seddie New Year Challenge**

To be judged under the category of iKiss

**Chapter Three**

"Ok. Let's talk," Sam breathed, looking up at Freddie and taking a deep breath. Was he mad at her? Was he confused? What would the outcome be for her reckless behaviour? Freddie didn't speak immediately, and she wondered whether he was waiting for her to say something. The silence dragged on, and Sam's impatience kicked in.

"Well, do you want to talk or just stand there Freddork?" she questioned, trying to pull away from him to show her impatience. Freddie just pulled her closer again and waited for her to calm down. She looked down at his hands in annoyance, the defensive front that she always displayed when she was nervous firing up.

"What's with you?" she demanded, trying to pull free again. She put her hands to his shoulders and pushed, but he refused to let go, and her weakened state wasn't helping matters.

"Let go of me," she whispered fiercely as she noticed some of the couples staring at them.

"No," Freddie growled back just as fiercely, taking Sam by surprise and dampening her resolve.

"What's with you all of a sudden?" she asked again, and she looked intently at Freddie, trying to read his expression again. He looked up at her sheepishly, losing his intensity for a while and she softened under his gaze.

"I want to talk," he repeated this time, "And this is the only way I know how to get you not to run away."

Sam stopped pushing at his shoulders at his words and slid her arms back around his neck guiltily. Had she always been running away?

'_Yes,'_ she admitted to herself, _'I have always been running away from my feelings for Freddie. I guess it's time to face the music.' _

"Ok, ok," she admitted defeat, "About what happened on the couch…"

"You were trying to tease me like you usually do?" Freddie asked, and she nodded her head in agreement.

"Yes," she answered, "But, somehow…look, I didn't mean to freak you out or anything, really."

Freddie kept quiet, indicating to her that she could carry on. Sam gulped slightly, feeling nervous and trying to fight the urge to run in the opposite direction…or hit Freddie. She was really trying hard not to hit him. She understood that her abusive ways were only a defense mechanism to avoid being hurt either physically or emotionally, but she also realized that her defense could end up becoming the downfall of her happiness if she inflicted it on Freddie now.

"I, um…" she trailed off, struggling to find the words to explain herself. She was still dead scared of admitting her feelings to him, and she was certain that she would chicken out and run away again if she didn't do it soon.

"Sam," Freddie said, saving her from speaking just yet, "You didn't freak me out. You just...confused me a little…"

So she was right in her assumption that he was confused. Of course he would be – she was the girl who constantly caused him both physical and emotional pain on a daily basis, and even if their friendship had been improving it didn't justify the actions she had displayed earlier on that night.

"Well, don't get the wrong idea Benson," she said before she could stop herself, "I'm just all dosed up on antibiotics, so it must be making my head all wonky."

Sam watched his face fall, and she felt like kicking herself. Why did she always open her big mouth before she thought everything through? She was surprised when she felt Freddie pull her even closer than she already was, his head snapping up and looking her directly in the eye.

"That's not true Sam," he said clearly, and Sam almost recoiled under the intensity of his gaze.

"H-How would you know that?" she spluttered, looking away from him as she tried to defend herself, "I meant what I said! How can you not believe me?"

"Because of this," Freddie said, squeezing her close to him and embracing her in a tight hug which forced her head onto his shoulder, "Because of this feeling right here. And because holding you like this doesn't feel wrong."

Sam had to agree with him on that point; he was so warm, and he sheltered her from the chilly breeze which blew in occasionally over the roof, adding to the shivers she was already feeling from her ill condition. She felt safe in his arms, and strangely enough she felt protected. When she was in his arms like this she didn't feel like she needed to be the tough, defensive girl that she always was. When she was in his arms she felt like it was okay to admit weakness…it was acceptable to cry and seek comfort. Her chest swelled at his words as she realized that the insecurities she had always kept deep within her wanted to resurface all of a sudden. She shut her eyes tight as she forced the sudden wetness of her eyes back, and she reluctantly pushed away from Freddie.

He was right; this didn't feel wrong, but that was what made it so wrong in the first place. She wasn't good enough for him. Freddie deserved someone who would love him with everything she had and would never hurt him. Sam couldn't promise him something like that. Freddie needed a…a…a Carly. Sam caught her breath as she remembered her best friend, and the love that Freddie had for her.

"Wait, what about Carly?" she voiced, looking up at him. He had a soft expression in his eyes, and his gaze brought with it the same feelings she had felt in his arms. How did he manage to make her fell so _safe_?

"Carly?" Freddie repeated dimly, "What do you mean?"

"You like Carly, Freddie!" Sam said forcefully, managing to create a bit of distance between them, even though Freddie still held onto her tightly. He looked at her stern face with a confused expression.

"Sam," he muttered, trying to pull her closer again, but she stood her ground. They weren't swaying to the music anymore and were instead standing still, the tension between them highly apparent. Freddie narrowed his eyes slightly at her resistance, but he let Sam win this time around.

"Don't you understand what I'm trying to say here?" he pressed on.

"Yeah, yeah," Sam interjected, "It feels _righ_t to hold me, or whatever, and the reason you say so is because we had a _random_…moment on the couch earlier and now you're all confused and troubled _yada yada yada_…"

A pained expression crossed Freddie's face at her dismissive attitude, but it was only brief, and he smiled despite the pain, knowing that she was only being defensive. He knew this girl before him, and he knew that this was the right thing to do. She was making it very difficult, but he would do it.

"Sam," he said again, and she chanced a glance at him. Dang it, he still had that soft look in his eyes! It made her want to hit him on the one hand, and kiss him on the other. She held back on both accounts and decided to listen to him instead.

"I'm not confused...well, I am a little, but not about_ my _feelings. I know how I feel about you - it's how _you_ feel about _me_ that is so confusing!"

A new song started up as the old song they had been dancing to faded away, and they started swaying again, grateful that it was still a slow tune playing. Sam jerked her focus back to Freddie at his words, her mouth falling open slightly. He didn't seem to notice though, and he carried on with his speech, the words tumbling urgently from his mouth in his haste to let Sam understand.

"I gave up hope on anything happening between me and Carly months ago! Well, maybe not months ago, but weeks ago at least! And you and I have been getting along better as well, and I don't know whether it's because I've just learnt to put up with you or because things have been developing. I…"

He seemed to struggle to find the words to carry on, and she noticed that his cheeks looked flushed. He was scared to be admitting these things, and he was bravely plunging into the deep end without being fully aware of what her feelings for him were. That sure was admirable, and a smile formed at her mouth as she watched him deliver his speech.

"I don't know how you feel about me Sam, and you're probably going to want to hit me after I've said all this, but I have to say it. I have to tell you how I feel because I could never live with myself if there is a possibility that you feel the same way and I let you slip through my fingers."

He pulled her closer again as he said this, and Sam allowed him to do it. He seemed pretty disgruntled, and she wanted to hear what he had to say.

"That night that we kissed something changed between the two of us Sam. It wasn't just because my hormones began to run away with me either; the kiss started something that I couldn't run away from. I began to notice things about you that I'd never noticed before, and at first it freaked me out, but after a while it made me see you differently. You gave me a glace into your mind that night, and after that it became easier to know what you were thinking and to get to know you. I've tried to run away from my feelings because I was convinced that you hated me. But then you do things like earlier…or you smile at me from the other side of the room and make me wonder what you're thinking. Or you catch my eye like we're having a silent conversation…"

He trailed off, not looking her in the eye out of fear of her reaction. Sam was taken aback. She couldn't believe that Freddie was confessing that he had feelings for her. She had been convinced that the crazy dweeb would always be chasing blindly after Carly, but it seemed like she had been wrong. So, she wasn't the only one who had lost her mind? She thought it was weird to like a dweeb, but he actually liked a psychopath like her? He trumped her level of craziness by far.

"And while I'm busy saying crazy things that are probably going to get me killed," Freddie added, bringing his rant to an end, "You look really gorgeous tonight Sam."

He smiled warmly down at her, meeting her eyes at last and Sam felt the heat jump to her cheeks at his compliment. She supposed that it was time for her to do some talking, and she swallowed as she realized that she was so close to finally admitting her feelings for Freddie.

"You wanna know why I wore a dress tonight?" she started off randomly, and Freddie shook his head, "It was Carly's idea. I hate dresses. And heels; I absolutely _detest_ heels. The last time you and Carly tried to put me in a dress I threw a corndog at it and stormed out. I hate dresses…but I like you. And you like girls in dresses."

Sam felt her cheeks burn hotter, and this time she couldn't look Freddie in the eye. This was the mushy part. Why did she start with the mushy part?

"Well, you like Carly at least, and she always wears dresses on special occasions. So, I figured that if I started acting more like Carly…in some things at least, you'd start to notice me. Well, seems like you started noticing me before I really started trying."

She smiled up at him, meeting his gaze and fiddling with the hair at the nape of his neck as they swayed to the music.

"I'm…sorry that I still abuse you so much," Sam muttered, noticing the toothy grin Freddie now had.

"Actually," he interrupted, "It's really gotten much better. And the occasional fight doesn't bother me. That's what's great about you and me. We're best friends, but we still fight and manage to resolve everything in the end. And I don't want you to be like Carly…you're Sam, and I like you the way you are. Although, I do like the dress."

"Freddie," she muttered, her thoughts reminding her of how she wasn't good enough for him, "Thank you, for telling me how you feel. I…I feel the same way…but it would never work out between us Freddie."

His shocked expression pained Sam, but she gritted her teeth and pushed on. Freddie didn't deserve someone like her, and even though she wanted him so badly...she knew she couldn't have him. He needed to be with someone else so that he could be happy. She could never make him happy.

"We wouldn't be happy Fredweird – we'd fight all the time and it would be difficult. It wouldn't be worth it. You'd be better off with someone else…"

His grip on her slackened in his state of disbelief. Sam knew she was hurting him, and it was killing her to do it, but she knew it was the right thing to do.

"Sam…" he muttered, leaning closer to her, the pain apparent in his eyes. Sam stopped speaking and held her breath as he leaned in. She knew she had to turn away, but she was so tempted to feel his lips on hers just one more time.

"Can I have everyone's attention please?" Carly's voice sounded over the speakers, the music dying down slightly as she focused everyone's attention on herself. She was standing in front of the camera, a microphone clasped at her mouth and an excited buzz filtered about the room as a wide grin spread across her features.

"We only have five minutes until midnight, so could everyone please gather around Spencer's sculptures?" she asked politely, "Oh, and has anyone seen Sam and Freddie?"

The above mentioned broke apart suddenly as everyone on the dance floor looked in their direction, some of them with smug smiles on their faces. Perhaps having such an intimate conversation in the middle of the dance floor wasn't the best decision to make, but it was too late now. Freddie made his way through the crowd, his sad expression apparent on his face and Sam followed behind him guiltily. She had probably hurt him in the worst possible way right now, and she didn't even feel happy about it. She missed the days where she could hurt Freddie and not care about it. She wished those days could come back, but she knew they never would.

'_Once you're in, you're in'_ she thought to herself.

"Come on guys," Carly hurried them on as they made their way through the crowd, "Freddie, get ready to do the countdown and show Spencer which button to press at midnight – he wants to unleash his creation on the world himself."

She winked at him, expecting him to smile back or say something, but he simply nodded and headed to the laptop, beckoning Spencer over without so much as a word.

"Okay…" Carly muttered, turning to her other best friend, "Is he okay?" she asked.

Sam also just nodded, and then smiled at Carly when she noticed her worried expression. Man, she and Freddie sure were worrying Carly a lot tonight.

"Don't worry Carls, Freddie's just suffering from dork syndrome," she joked, noticing that Freddie sent a nasty glare her way straight afterwards. That hurt her. Carly seemed reassured though, and she pulled Sam towards Spencer's sculptures so that they could be right in the centre of the action.

Freddie repositioned his camera so that it was focused on the sculptures and the two girls now standing before them. He watched as Sam laughed at something Carly said, and his heart fell in further disappointment. Was she really that unconcerned for the feelings he had for her. Was she lying when she said she felt the same way? Because it certainly didn't look like it. Once the camera was set up Freddie and Spencer headed over to the sculptures, Sam's remote in Spencer's hand so that he could activate the sculptures possible ignition. At that moment Freddie didn't mind if the sculptures did catch fire and take him down with them.

"You okay Freddo?" Spencer whispered to him as they made their way onto the mini podium that Spencer had erected in front of the sculptures, the crowd looking expectantly up at them.

"Not really," he muttered, "I took your advice Spence. It didn't work out too well."

Spencer was taken aback; he was certain Sam would feel the same way about him, so why didn't it go well?

"She didn't feel the same way?" he questioned in a whisper since Sam was only standing a few feet away from them now.

"No, she felt the same way," Freddie answered, "She just doesn't think we're right for each other."

"That's it?" Spencer exclaimed. That was so stupid! Freddie nodded his head gravely and resumed his stern expression. The little guy was hurt, Spencer could see that, and he had to do something about it. There was no way he was going to allow Sam to crush Freddie's spirit even further than she already had in the past.

He left Freddie's side and took three long strides in order to end up next to Sam. Freddie didn't even notice him leave – he was too busy counting down the seconds on the clock. Before Spencer could say anything though, Sam and Carly leapt into their web show personalities, catching him off guard.

"It's almost time to say goodbye to 2009!" Carly shouted at the camera, waving her hands above her head for effect.

"We hope you've had fun watching us party all night!" Sam said then, "Because watching us party is so much cooler than partying yourself."

"Don't be mean Sam," Carly scolded her, "Freddie is busy counting down the seconds as we speak, so be sure to chant the countdown with us from home."

It was now Sam's turn to speak, but she seemed hesitant as she looked over at Freddie who was focused intently on his watch.

"Um…how much time do we have left Freddor…Freddie?" Sam asked, trying not to insult him for once.

Freddie gave her a sharp look, and then announced the time left until the start of the brand new year.

"Fifteen seconds," he announced, and some of the guests started muttering excitedly.

"Well, lets start the countdown from ten then!" Carly exclaimed, and two seconds later Freddie began the countdown, everyone joining in.

"10!"

"9!"

Spencer leaned over to Sam who hadn't joined in the countdown yet, her eyes focused on the boy who was leading the countdown, his eyes never straying from his watch

"8!"

"You know what Sam?" Spencer whispered in her ear, and she looked up at him in surprise.

"7!"

"I know it's hard for you right now," Spencer continued.

"6!"

"But sometimes," he shouted in her ear now, as everyone's voices started lifting in excitement.

"5!"

"4!"

"Sometimes, the hardest thing and the right thing could be the very same thing." He finished, straightening up.

"3!"

Sam looked up at him with wide eyes as his advice sunk in, and he smiled down at her. Yeah, he could be wise if he wanted to.

"2!"

"1!"

"Happy New Year!" everyone shouted, as Spencer pushed the button Freddie had shown him to push and a vibrant display of lights and sparks erupted form the sculptures behind them. The 2010 lit up from the one end to the other as sparks flew from the friction, and then Spencer's surprise appeared. No one suspected this from Spencer; Freddie had expected flames of some sort as Spencer's plan backfired like it usually did, but for once Spencer's plan actually worked. From the top of each sculpture a fountain of foam appeared from hidden pipes in the back. It landed in the crowd, surprising the guests. Some of the girls screamed as it hit them, complaining about their hair and makeup, and it began to gather in large pools at their feet, the impact of more water and foam falling to the ground causing more foam to appear.

Freddie was so taken aback by Spencer's genius that he lost his footing on the small podium and managed to fall into the crowd. He landed roughly on the ground, but he wasn't hurt, and he stood up soon enough. People were hugging and wishing each other a Happy New Year, and he got pulled into the crowd as his friends began to involve him as well, the foam building higher at their legs.

Carly hugged Sam as the foam washed over them, gigging frantically as Spencer scooped them both up in a brotherly hug.

"Spencer, you're a genius!" Carly exclaimed as he put them down, "Happy New Year!"

"You can never tell me that enough," Spencer grinned at his sister, "And Happy New Year to you too little sis!"

Sam patted Spencer on the back as he gave Carly another hug. He winked at her, silently reminding her of what he said.

'_Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing could be the very same thing…' _

She looked around for Freddie to find him nowhere in sight. She wondered where he had gotten to, and she looked around frantically, worried that he had fallen off the building or something. That would be such a Freddie-like thing to do.

"Hey Sam!"

She looked around as Carly called her name, her grin still plastered to her face.

"Thanks for the great couple of years," she said, hugging her friend again, "I hope this year is even better for you! I think this year will be a good one. iCarly will only become better, and we'll be going to high school! Hey, maybe we'll meet some super hot guys and Freddie can get himself a girlfriend too! You have to promise that we'll remain best friends, all of three of us, alright?"

Sam smiled at her friend who was babbling like an idiot.

'_Ah, Carly, you gotta love her.'_

She backtracked what Carly had said and froze all of a sudden. Freddie would get himself a girlfriend? An image of Freddie walking down the halls of the high school they were heading to, hand in hand with some faceless girl ate at her stomach, and Sam came to a realization.

'_Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing could be the very same thing…' _

It was hard to let go of Freddie – it killed her to do it, but she knew that it would be hard for them to be together. It would be difficult and he would probably be unhappy. She thought avoiding that hurt was the right thing to do, but she realized now that it wasn't. Being with Freddie would be hard – it would be difficult – but living without him would be even harder.

Before she knew it she had turned her back on Carly and leaped into the crowd, calling Freddie's name as she went. Carly stared in amazement at her friend, her jaw hanging open, and she looked at Spencer as if he could explain her strange behaviour. Spencer simply shrugged.

"Let her go kiddo," he said, "Its love."

"Freddie!" Sam called, pushing her way through the crowd frantically. The foam that Spencer had unleashed was building faster now; it covered the area of the roof where all the guests were currently situated and rose well above their heads There were squeals of laughter as their friends played in the foam, sneaking up on each other and slipping and running. Sam was running too, and she pushed people out of her way easily. Her illness was long forgotten – adrenalin was rushing through her veins again and her headache had disappeared. She would probably be as sick as a dog tomorrow after running through the foam, but she didn't care. She needed to find Freddie before it was too late. What if he had left? What if he never wanted to speak to her again? Was it was too late to fix what she could have ruined?

She felt the beginnings of tears welling up in her eyes, but she didn't bother wiping them away; she was too busy pushing past the large expanse of bodies surrounded by foam.

"Freddie!" she called again, choking back tears, and she finally saw him. He was at his camera, trying to save it from being damaged by the foam that was floating around. Of course, he was such a nerd, trying to save his camera. Sam was soaked, and her hair was messed up and hanging damp on her shoulders, but she didn't care. She ran up to him and called his name again.

He turned around in surprise as Sam fell into his arms, short sobs escaping her slender form, and he held her close to his chest in confusion. She looked up at him, trying to control her sobbing, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Sam, are you _crying_?" Freddie asked, and she nodded, but before he could say anything more she lifted herself up and stared him straight in the eye.

"I don't care," she started, and Freddie's expression became, if possible, even more confused.

"I don't care if it's going to be difficult! I don't care if we fight all the time, or if we end up killing each other because of my bad temper, or if we end up unhappy one day."

Freddie tried to say something, but Sam shushed him with a glare that she often used to shut him up.

"Momma's talking now," she warned him, "Because, you see…even if we do all that stuff…I still think we could be happy. Because you must want me for a reason, right? I must like you for some strange reason too, so, what I'm trying to say is…Freddie, as long as you want me I'll be here. Because I-"

She was cut off as Freddie's mouth found hers, and the cold she had been feeling before from the dampness of the foam disappeared as heat filled her from her fingers to her toes. She threw her arms around Freddie's neck as she kissed him enthusiastically, pulling herself closer to him and not caring who saw them. After a minute or two (or was it an hour or two? Sam didn't know because it felt like it went on forever) the two broke apart, gasping for air, wide smiles on their faces.

"Because I think I love you Freddie!" Sam ended off her previous speech, and Freddie's smile grew wider at her words. He pulled her closer to him again, and brought her face to his. Sam closed her eyes, but instead of the strong, passionate kiss she was expecting, she felt Freddie press his lips gently to hers, almost as if he was whispering a secret to her.

"I love you too you crazy psychopath," Freddie whispered then, and her eyes snapped open, a mischievous grin caressing her features.

"You nub," she whispered back, and the next thing she knew his lips were at hers again, and she clutched him close once more, never wanting to let go.

* * *

* * *

"Come and check this out," Freddie urged her, pulling Sam out of the remnants of foam and leading her to his laptop. It had taken them forever to find their way out of the maze of bodies that were still lingering in the foam, and the fresh night air was very refreshing to the two lovestruck teenagers.

Freddie let go of Sam's hand when he reached his laptop, and he typed a few digits before taking her had again and pulling her behind the screen with him. They were at the comments page on the site, where the viewers of iCarly seemed involved in a heated debate of some sort. Freddie scrolled up to some of the comments he was looking for, and Sam read them excitedly.

_Did you see what happened with Sam and Freddie? While Carly was talking about that random guy she was dancing with? Please tell me someone saw that! It was happening behind her, on the couch._

_**Hey! I saw it! Amazing! Do you think they're dating?**_

_No, I don't think they're dating! Don't they, like, hate each other or something?_

_**They seem pretty cosy for two kids that hate each other.**_

_I think they secretly like each other. Can't you see how they look at each other sometimes? Besides, they'd make a totally cute couple._

_Nah-uh! I though Freddie liked Carly? They should totally go out, she's smokin' hot!_

_Hey, come on, can't you see what's going on with Sam and Freddie? They should SO get together! Seddie forever!_

_**Seddie? WTF is that?**_

_You know, like Sam and Freddie put together = Seddie_

**Cool, Seddie! Yeah, I agree, there is such underlying chemistry between those two. They should at least just kiss or something!**

Sam read through some of the comments with amusement, as Freddie read along with her over her shoulder.

"Seddie huh?" Sam said, and Freddie shrugged.

"The comments about us go on for about six pages. Probably more since I last checked. I read through all of them, and they kind of convinced me to tell you I felt. If the viewers could pick it up...I figured it was worth a shot."

Sam smiled at him and gave him a small peck on the cheek in gratitude.

"Seddie?" she repeated thoughtfully, caressing her chin, "I think I like it."

She looked up at Freddie who was smiling down at her affectionately and she winked at him before straightening up and planting another kiss on his lips, wrapping her arms around his neck with joy. It seems like the iCarly fans were right; Seddie sure did rock – especially if you're on the receiving end of the Seddie kisses.

**------------------------------------------------------------THE END (for now)---------------------------------------------------------**

_Hope you enjoyed my short little Seddie story! Please let me know what you thought of it, and maybe if you'd like for me to carry on with what happens afterwards? In other words, please review! Hehe_


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